Newcastle rekindle their interest in James Tarkowski | OneFootball

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their pursuit of Burnley beast James Tarkowski…

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph, the Magpies are now eyeing a late bid in the transfer window for the centre-back as they ‘rekindle’ their interest in him. No offer has gone in as of yet, but the club are looking at him as a potential target with less than a week to go before the window closes.

Football Insider previously reported that Burnley are looking for £20m for the 29-year-old this month, with fellow Premier League side West Ham also keen on the defender.

Should Newcastle sign Tarkowski?

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Forget Lascelles

Newcastle’s defensive record this season is abysmal, but the prospective signing of Tarkowski could help the club to improve on their porous backline. It is time to forget about club captain Jamaal Lascelles and bring in the Burnley man to take his place in the team.

The Magpies skipper has averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.51 in the Premier League, starting 17 of the club’s 21 top-flight matches. Only Norwich have conceded more goals than Newcastle, having played a game more, and the ex-Nottingham Forest defender has been a central part of their woes with his poor showings on a regular basis.

Tony Philliskirk previously dubbed Tarkowski as “integral” and a “leader”, and that is exactly what the 29-year-old could be for Eddie Howe if he is able to replicate his Burnley form for Newcastle. He has proven his Premier League quality over the course of several seasons and he could go a long way to helping the Toon improve their defensive record by replacing Lascelles in the team.

The ex-Brentford beast has averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.02 or higher in each of the last five Premier League campaigns, including the current season, which shows how remarkably consistent – and brilliant – he has been for Burnley. He has maintained a high standard over half a decade, whilst Lascelles has only averaged a score higher than 6.80 in one of his six top-flight campaigns.

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This suggests that Tarkowski would be a major upgrade on the current Magpies defender and would be a fantastic signing for Newcastle. He would be integral for Howe, as he has proven that he can be relied upon to deliver stout defensive displays week in, week out, and PIF must ensure that they can get this deal over the line for Howe by next Monday night.